Their fondness for hearty brews brought them across the pond to Ireland last year, where they managed to sneak in a few rounds of golf between bar-hopping. It was on the flight back that the two decided to organize their own pub crawl, but with a charitable twist.

"It was an amazing trip, one that had been planned by a bunch of my friends and their fathers," said Pendergast, 38, who works in marketing. "Fortunately, what came out of it, besides a hangover, is something good that will be beneficial to a larger group."

Best friends since elementary school, Pendergast and Bullock, along with fellow beer connoisseurs and friends Mark Ott, Paul Rosselli and Scott Livingston, organized the inaugural Saratoga Fall Crawl, which will be from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday in downtown Saratoga Springs. Money raised will benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region.

The schedule is as follows: registration from 12:30 to 1 p.m. at Gaffney's, which is the first stop of the crawl from 1 to 1:50 p.m.; 2 to 2:50 p.m. at Tin 'N' Lint; 3 to 3:50 p.m. at the Saratoga City Tavern; 4 to 4:50 p.m. at the Parting Glass; and 5 to 6 p.m. at Bailey's Cafe.

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Registration is $40. Fall-themed specials will be available at each stop. There will also be giveaways, raffles, auctions and games. Organizers strongly recommend coordinating a safe ride home.

"We've seen such an amazing reaction and outpouring of support," said Pendergast. "It's our hope that this becomes an annual event that will get bigger and better in the years to come."

The fall crawl crew is hoping to raise $10,000 for the Albany Ronald McDonald House's "More Room for Love" campaign.

In celebration of its 30th anniversary last year, the nonprofit — a respite for families of seriously ill children — announced it was expanding to address the growing need for its services.

The charity has had to turn people away when its 16 bedrooms are full.

The staff has raised money and continues to lean on volunteers to add a third house to its facility on South Lake Avenue.

"The addition will get rid of our waiting list, which is our nemesis," said Executive Director Jeff Yule. "We're still about six months away from completion, but the community has really responded, and we're moving forward."

The original building at 139 S. Lake Ave. was the 35th Ronald McDonald House. The global charity began in 1974 and today boasts a network of chapters in 59 countries.

In 1989, the stately Albany house with three cupolas was joined with the home next door at 137 S. Lake. The latest expansion will make for a total of 25 rooms as well as a larger kitchen, anelevator and office space.

Yule said that the addition, which is estimated to about $2 million, will meet the need of the community through at least 2020.

"Andy Bullock was on our board, so we know him and the crowd he runs with, which made us confident that they could pull together an event like this," Yule said. "Every now and then, the phone rings with a gem like that. I think it's because our mission resonates with people."